![]() ![]() This is a common acknowledgement at funerals, with clergy often voicing a variation of a statement from The Book of Common Prayer: “We, therefore, commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.” We may build great pyramids, or be laid out in lead-lined coffins, buried without a headstone or cremated, but in the end, we all end in ashes. In some way or another, we all end up as ashes. ![]() Sounds like there’s something in there besides Mr. Nonchalantly, he said, “Don’t think they did a good job of sifting the ashes. The man had been cremated and when the funeral home director reached over and picked up the box, it rattled. He looked at me, smiled and said, “Actually, he is in the box you just moved.” I ask the funeral director what viewing room the deceased had been placed in. The office was small, and as I leaned over the huge desk, I pushed aside a box that was in my line of sight. As was my practice, I went by the funeral home to get the details of the person whose graveside service I would officiate. My first experience with cremation was as a new pastor who was called by the funeral home to do a graveside service for someone who had been sent back to the area. In some parts of America, we have been averse to cremation, but during the early days of the pandemic, some were not given a choice. ![]() In the early days of COVID-19, some communities required cremation as a safety public health step. I have been asked to speak at a Grief Share conference next month, and I chose the topic, “Grief After COVID.” No, there was not a fire inside or outside the house. ![]()
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